Char cloth

Introduction & History

Charring cloth or plant material is the process of heating natural fiber to make the material carbon rich, much like coal, making it easier to ignite. This chemical process is called pyrolysis, which is a combustion reaction in the absence of oxygen.

Primitive peoples around the world charred polypore fungi, plant fibers, and punk wood as their material source. Archaeologists have discovered people across various historic sites with charred materials alongside high sharpness minerals and pyrites for ignition. These materials together form the basis of flint and steel fire starting.

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